Pearl Guide

A short guide to pearls, necklace lengths, ring styles, and pocket watches. Use it to learn what makes each piece special and how to care for it.

The History of Pearls

People have prized pearls for thousands of years. The oldest written mention of natural pearls comes from a Chinese historian in 2206 BC. The Persian Gulf was one of the great sources of natural pearls from ancient times until 1492.

Japanese pioneers grew the first whole cultured pearls around the start of the 1900s. By the 1920s, cultured pearls had become an important business, and natural pearl production began to decline.

Natural and Cultured Pearls

A natural pearl forms inside a mollusk with no help from people. A cultured pearl needs a person to start the process. A pearl farmer places a shell bead or a small piece of tissue inside the mollusk. The mollusk then coats it in layers of nacre, the material that gives a pearl its glow.

Types of Pearls

Akoya
Saltwater pearls from Japan and China. White or cream Akoya pearls are the classic choice for a single strand.

South Sea
Saltwater pearls from Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Colors range from white to silver and gold.

Tahitian
Saltwater pearls from French Polynesia, often called black pearls. Colors range from gray to black and brown, sometimes with blue, green, purple, or pink tones.

Freshwater
Pearls grown in lakes and ponds, mostly in China. They are the most common type and come in many sizes, shapes, and colors.

How to Judge Pearl Quality

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) looks at seven factors: size, shape, color, luster, surface, nacre, and matching.

Luster is the shine of the pearl. Pearls with high luster show bright, sharp reflections.
Surface covers spots, bumps, and scratches. A few small marks matter less, especially when a drill hole or setting hides them.
Nacre is the pearl's outer layer. Thin nacre can make a pearl look dull or chalky and wear faster.
Matching matters for strands and sets. Each pearl should look like its neighbors.

Caring for Your Pearls

Pearls are soft. They rate 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, so they scratch easily. A little care keeps them bright for years.

Keep perfume, hairspray, makeup, and other chemicals off your pearls. Wipe them with a soft, clean cloth after each wear. For a deeper clean, use warm, soapy water, and let strung pearls dry completely before you wear them. Never use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. Keep pearls away from high heat and dry, hot places. Store them in a soft pouch or case, away from sharp or rough objects. Have a strand restrung when the silk looks stretched, dark, or worn.

Necklace Lengths

Collar, 12 to 13 inches. Fits high and snug on the throat.
Choker, 14 to 16 inches. Sits at the base of the neck.
Princess, 17 to 19 inches. Falls to the collarbone. This is the most popular length.
Matinee, 20 to 24 inches. Drops to the top of the chest.
Opera, 30 to 36 inches. Long enough to wrap into a double or triple strand.
Rope, longer than 36 inches. Wrap it around the neck or knot it to hang down the front or back.

Ring Styles

Solitaire. A single center stone.
Halo. A center stone circled by smaller stones.
Three-stone. One center stone with a stone of the same size or smaller on each side.
Cocktail or cluster. An oversized ring with a large center stone, often surrounded by tiny stones.
Eternity band. A ring that stands for lasting love. It is often given in place of an engagement ring.
Signet. A ring often engraved with a family crest. Some can press their design into sealing wax.

Pocket Watches

Portable spring-driven watches first appeared in Europe in the 1500s. Peter Henlein of Nuremberg, Germany, was making pocket watches by 1526. Until the third quarter of the 1800s, most pocket watches were wound and set with a key. Pocket watches stayed the most common kind of watch until wristwatches became popular after World War I.

Railroads made pocket watches part of daily work. On April 19, 1891, a train wreck in Kipton, Ohio, happened because an engineer's watch had stopped for four minutes. In 1893, almost all railroads adopted the General Railroad Timepiece Standards. Approved watches had to keep time within 30 seconds a week.

Pocket Watch Styles

Open face. No metal cover over the glass. The crown usually sits at 12 o'clock. The railroad standards called for open-face watches.
Hunter case. A hinged metal lid closes over the dial to protect it.
Half hunter. The lid has a small window or opening, so you can read the hands without opening it.

Sources

Gemological Institute of America (GIA): Pearl Description
GIA: Pearl History and Lore
GIA: Pearl Buying Guide and Quality Factors
GIA: Pearl Care and Cleaning Guide
GIA: How Should I Care for My Pearls?
GIA 4Cs: Engagement Ring Styles
GIA 4Cs: How to Buy a Three Stone Engagement Ring
International Antique Jewelers Association: How to Select the Perfect Pearl Strand
Wikipedia: Ring (Jewellery)
Wikipedia: Pocket Watch
Pocket Watch Database: Case Configurations